Spinal disorders such as degenerative disc disease, disc herniation, osteoporosis, spondylolisthesis, stenosis, scoliosis and other curvature abnormalities, kyphosis, tumor, and fracture may result from factors including trauma, disease and degenerative conditions caused by injury and aging. Spinal disorders typically result in symptoms including pain, nerve damage, and partial or complete loss of mobility. For example, after a disc collapse, severe pain and discomfort can occur due to the pressure exerted on nerves and the spinal column.
Non-surgical treatments, such as medication, rehabilitation and exercise can be effective, however, may fail to relieve the symptoms associated with these disorders. Surgical treatments of these spinal disorders include discectomy, laminectomy, fusion and implantable prosthetics. During surgical treatment, one or more rods may be attached via fasteners to the exterior of two or more vertebral members in a vertebral fixation system. When a rod is positioned within a fixation system, the rod may require bending and shaping to conform to a curvature of a spine of a patient. This disclosure describes an improvement over these prior art technologies.